This invention relates to a process for separating gaseous alkenes (in particular ethylene) from gaseous alkanes (in particular ethane) employing silver-exchanged ionomer membranes.
The use of membranes of ion-exchange polymers (ionomers) for alkene/alkane separation is known. Particularly effective ionomers are sulfonated copolymers of tetrafluoroethylene and perfluorovinyl ether. These copolymers are commercially available, e.g., from Du Pont de Nemours and Company, Wilmington, DE, under various Nafion.RTM. product designations. The present invention is directed to the use of Ag.sup.+ -exchanged membranes of these ionomers for separating gaseous alkenes from gaseous alkanes, in particular ethylene from ethane.